It’s a Daily Choice: The Promise Land or Edom

Today’s Reading: Genesis 36: 1-19, 1 Chronicles 1: 35-37, Genesis 36: 20-30, 1 Chronicles 1: 38-42, Genesis 36: 31-43, 1 Chronicles 1:43 – 2:2

In Genesis 31:3, the Lord told Jacob to return to the land of his father and grandfather and his relatives, and the Lord said He would be with him. Jacob did just as the Lord told him to do.

Today we find that Esau decides to leave the Promised Land and Jacob.   He took his wives, his children, and his entire household, along with his livestock and cattle—all the wealth he had acquired in the land of Canaan—and moved away from his brother Jacob.  There was not enough land to support them both because of all the livestock and possessions they had acquired. (Gen. 36:6-8)

This story sounds like Abraham and Lot in Genesis 13, except there was no discussion between Jacob and Esau recorded.  I wonder if there really wasn’t enough land for them both, or did Esau just not want to be near his brother, or maybe Esau did not want to be in the presence of the Living God.

Today’s reading was mostly genealogy.  Yes, it’s was a little boring, but my one take away from the day was worth digging through all those names I can’t pronounce.  So here it is:  When Esau left the Promised Land he made a conscious choice to leave God out of his genealogy. All of those names we read were real people—think of the lives they lived, the children they bore, and the things they accomplished.  Think about this:  They never knew the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because of the decision of one person—Esau.  The decision Esau made not only affected the descendants listed in Genesis 36 but that decision affected future generations that reach into the 21^st Century.

I don’t about you, but I have had times when I just wanted to run away from conflict.  I wanted to move away and get a fresh start.  I didn’t want to have day-to-day contact with someone who had hurt me; I didn’t want to hear their name around town and stay intertwined in their life.  But God had a better plan, he wanted me to stay in the midst of the hurt and pain and work through it, not run away from it.

True freedom doesn’t come when you run away from your problems but when you stay and face them head-on.

When trouble and conflict come, we have a choice, we either move toward God or away from Him.  It’s a daily choice—the Promised Land or Edom.

I’m Choosing the Promised Land!

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©2012, Dianne Guthmuller

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:  Genesis 37:1-38:30; 1 Chronicles 2:3-6,8; Genesis 39:1-23